Flagstaff.



E. s. BARHART. FLAGSTAFF. APPLIGATION FILED JULY 19, 1911.

' 1,025,904. I Patented May 7, 1912. I

EDWIN S. EARHART, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA.

FLAGSTAFF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 19, 1911.

Patented May '7, 1912. Serial No. 639,381.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN S. EARI-IART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Folk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Flagstaff, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, durable and inexpensive flag staff of such construction that a flag may be easily and quickly attached to, or detachedfrom the staff.

A further object is to provide in such a flag staff, means whereby a flag may be secured to the staff in such a way that the strain on the cloth will be distributed, and which prevents the tearing or the releasing of the cloth.

A further object is to provide means whereby such a flag staff may be easily and quickly mounted on a pole, building or other support, which means include a socket in which the stafi proper 'is detachably mounted, and a device whereby the staff is firmly and securely held in said socket.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a flag staff embodying my invention with a flag secured thereto. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of said flag staff taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the flag gripping plate. Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a portion of the detachable upper end of the flag staff. Fig. 5 shows a top view of the staff, and Fig. 6 shows an inverted plan view of the device for holding the staff in the socket.

In the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the body of the flag stafi which is preferably cylindrical in form. The upper portion of the flag staff is provided with a central longitudinal slot 11 of sufficient depth to receive a flag of the width desired. The portion 12 of the flag staff on one side of the slot 11 is detachable. Formed in the flag staff 10 at the lower end of the slot 11 is a V shaped slot shown in Fig. 3 which is designed to receive the lower end of the portion 12. In the part of the flag staff 10 which forms the outer wall of the V shaped slot just referred to, is formed a short longitudinal slot, shown in Fig. 1. The outer side of the lower end of the portion 12 is provided with a beveled edge 13 designed to engage the outer side of said V shaped slot. On the beveled edge 13 is formed a lug 14: designed to be received in the longitudinal slot last above described. It will be seen that when the detachable portion 12 is placed adjacent to the other side, 15, of the upper end of the flag staff, and the lower end of the portion 12 is dropped into the said V shaped slot, the lug 14. will be received in the last described longitudinal slot, and when the upper end of the portion 12 is secured to the portion 15 by the means hereinafter described, all movement lateral or otherwise of the portion 12 with relation to the portion 15, will be prevented. On the upper end of the portion 15 is secured a spring clip comprising a portion 16 which is secured to said portion 15 longitudinally therewith, and a portion 17 at the upper end of the staff which is bent at right angles to the staff and designed to rest adjacent to the top thereof. On the upper end of the portion 12 is a projecting lug 18 which is freely received in a suitable opening in the portion 17 of the spring clip. The free end of the portion 17 is bent slightly upward forming an inclined plane 19 on its under side. WVhen the portion 12 is placed in its -position adjacent to the portion 15, the upper end thereof and the lug 18 thereon slide freely on the inclined plane 19, until the lug 18 is received in the opening in the portion 17 of the spring clip.

On the inner flat face of the portion 15 are one or more spring metal flag gripping plates 20, the central portions of which are slightly raised, as shown in Fig. 3. The faces of the plates 20 are provided with and to hold it firmly against the inner face of the portion 12. By means of the plates 20, the flag 22 is gripped and the strain thereon is spread over a considerable area.

My staff may be secured to a building or other support by any suitable means. For crossing flags, decorations and warning flags in many cases, no special socket or corrugations 21 designed to engage a flag means for holding the staff therein are necessary for securing my fiag staff to a suitable support, when it is desired to fasten the staff to a support, and at the same time to have it readily detachable therefrom, I have provided the following described means: A bracket 23 is secured to a wall or post by bolts 2 1 or any suitable means. On the outer end of the bracket 23 is a socket 25, the opening in which is in the shape of an inverted truncated cone. The lower end of the flag staff body 10 is preferably tapered to fit the socket 25. The lower end of the socket 25 is open. The shape of the tapered end of the flag staff body 10 is such that the lower end thereof rests flush with the lower end of the socket 25 when the flag stafi is inserted therein. On the lower end of the flag staff body 10 is a circular plate 26 of suitable diameter to pass through the lower opening of the socket 25. The circular plate 26 is secured to the flag staff body 10 by means of a screw or bolt 27 and turns freely thereon. The screw 27 is extendedthrough the plate 26 and secured to the lower end of the flag staff body 10, at points spaced apart from their centers so that in one position of the movement of the plate 26, it is concentric with the lower end of the flag staff body 10, and in other positions of its movement, it is not concentric with such lower end. hen the flag staff is placed in the socket, the plate 2 6 is placed in position so that it fits over the end of the flag staff body 10. After the flag staff has been placed in the socket, the plate 26 is below the lower end of the socket 25 and may be moved to posit-ion where it is not concentric with the lower end of the flag staff body 10, and when in said last mentioned position the plate 26 locks the flag staff in the socket.

In the practical use of my improved flag staff, the portion 12 is detached and the edge of the flag is laid on the flag gripping plate 20. The lower end of the portion 12 is then inserted in the V shaped slot in the body of the flag stafi with the lug 14 received in the slot provided therefor. The inner face of the port-ion 12 is placed against the flag and the plates 20 hold the former firmly against the latter. The lug 18 is received in the opening in the portion 17 of the spring clip, and the fiag is thereby held firmly in position. The bracket 23 may be secured to any suitable support. The lower end of the flag stafl with the plate 26 in position concentric with the lower end of said shaft, is inserted in the socket 25, and the plate 26 is then moved to position where it is not concentric with the lower end of the flag staff, thereby locking the flag staff in the socket. The socket 25 may be inclined at a slight angle, as shown in Fig. 1, and the screw 27 secured to the lower end of the flag staff at such a point that the weight of the plate 26 will hold it in position to lock the flag staff in the socket.

My improved flag staff has the advantages of simplicity of construction, inexpensiveness and durability. The flag is easily removed from the staff or secured thereto, and When attached to the staff is held firmly against release therefrom by the pressure of the corrugations 21 on the plates 20 againstthe inner face of the portion 12. The strain on the fiag is spread over the entire length of one edge thereof. The flag staff is easily and readily detachable from the socket and is securely held when in position therein.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a flag staff body having a central, longitudinal slot in the upper end thereof, the portion of the flag staff adjacent to one side of said slot being detachable, the body portion of said fiag staff being formed with a V shaped slot near the lower end of said longitudinal slot and with a third slot extending from the center of said V shaped slot to the outer side of the body of the flag staff, the lower end of said detachable portion being beveled to fit said V shaped slot, and provided with a lug designed to be received in said third slot, and means whereby the upper end of said detachable portion may be secured to the upper end of the main body of the flag staff.

2. In a device of the class described, a flag staff body having a central longitudinal slot in the upper end thereof, the portion of the flag staff adjacent to one side of said slot being detachable, said flag staff body being formed with a slot near the lower end of said longitudinal slot designed to receive the lower end of said detachable portion, and to prevent lateral movement thereof with relation to the flag staff body, the lower end of said detachable portion being formed to fit said last described slot, yielding means for securing the upper end of said detachable portion to the main body of the flag staff, said means comprising a spring clip having a body portion secured to the side of the main body of the flag staff near the upper end thereof, and a portion extended at right angles to said first named portion adj aeent to the top of the flag staff, and provided with an opening, a lug on the upper end of said detachable port-ion designed to be freely received in said opening.

3. In a device of the class described, a flag staff body having a central longitudinal slot in the upper end thereof, the portion of the flag staff adjacent to one side of said slot being detachable, means whereby said detachable portion is secured to the staff body, and means whereby a flag placed in said longitudinal slot is firmly gripped between the parts of the flag staff, said means comprising a spring metal flag gripping flatinner surface of said detachable portion plate constructed with a roughened surface, when the latter is secured to the main body 10 the ends of said plate being secured to the of the flag staff.

fiat inner surface of the upper portion of Des Moines, Iowa, July 8, 1911.

the main body of the flag staff, and the body EDWIN S. EARHART. thereof being slightly spaced apart from the Witnesses:

flag staif and designed to exert yielding M. WALLACE,

pressure to hold a flag securely against the M. PETERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

I Washington, D. C. 

